Pioneer Athletics Hall of Fame
Former Pioneer men's tennis coach John Nelson began his now 29-year collegiate coaching career at then-Cal State Hayward, guiding the team from 1983-88. After playing for the Pioneers for two seasons (1977-78), earning four all-conference selections and All-America honors in singles, Nelson returned to his alma mater and guided the Pioneers to five NCAC championships. Each season under Nelson, the team finished among the top 10 in the nation, claiming third place at the NCAA Division II National Championship in 1983 and 1988. Under Nelson's tutelage, Mauricio Achondo captured the 1985 NCAA Division II singles title.
Following his time at Cal State Hayward, Nelson went on to claim five conference championships and four regional coach of the year awards at UC Davis, where he guided the Aggies to the 1992 NCAA Division II team title, collecting Division II Coach of the Year honors along the way. During his time with both the Pioneers and Aggies, Nelson coached the only non-scholarship Division II programs in the nation, leading all 11 squads to top-10 finishes and six to the Final Four. Since then, Nelson then moved on to Division I, coaching at San Diego State before taking the reins at Hawaii, where he is entering his seventh season at the helm. During his career, Nelson has coached 30 All-Americans in both divisions, two singles national champions, five doubles national title teams and collected 12 conference and seven regional coach of the year awards.
